How to thrive in life on a wing and a prayer and a good dose of humor and courage. Inspirational essays from the field.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Prayer for America

Years ago, in my work running groups, I discovered an important principle. This has sometimes been described as 'Begin with the end in mind". In my case, the end that I reached for was a feeling-tone, not a specific accomplishment, but a spiritual sense, a vision.

I asked myself... How do I want us to feel at the end of this group...or even at the end of this meeting? Hopeful? A sense of unlimited possibilities? Respect? Understanding? A confidence in each other, even a tenderness toward each other? Each group is different, yet each contains unlimited possibility.

Once I had a clarity about the feeling-tone I was aiming for, everything else easily fell into place. Planning was effortless, the details almost seeming to arrange themselves. I could rephrase this method as "Begin with the healing-tone in mind".

This morning I found myself applying the same test to an issue that has troubled me greatly - my country, America, its leaders and media obsessed with terrorism, seemingly having lost its moral compass in the world.

How do I want my country to feel? What feeling-tone for the people in my country? What kind of leadership-tone to aim for as we head into the next election?

I want my America to feel vibrant, hopeful, creative, powerful, generous, inspiring. Unafraid of difference - indeed, appreciative and respectful of the wonderfully diverse human qualities and traditions on earth. An America that is unafraid to join with others to create a future worth living for - a future that allows for the never-ending unfoldment and diversity of life on earth.